By Prasadi Kadugodage
Wellington (CWBN)_A recent poll reveals that a third of New Zealanders support renaming New Zealand as Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand.
Rawiri Waititi, the Māori Party candidate for Waiariki, has last month announced the party’s Māori language policy in which he outlines renaming New Zealand as Aotearoa. The policy also suggests renaming cities and towns with their original Māori names by 2026.
Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has not officially announced her stance yet; however, at a recent media briefing she has mentioned that Aotearoa is used more often and that it is a “positive thing”.
“Whether or not we change it in law I don’t think changes the fact that New Zealand is increasingly referred to as Aotearoa”, she has further added.
However, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is of the view that this is a move “rushing down the path of separatism.”
The poll has been conducted by the Colmar Brunton in which 32% have expressed their support for the name change while 61% have opposed. The view of the remaining 7% is unknown.
